The tension in the Georgian Parliament due to the enormous differences between the ruling party and the opposition ended this Monday with blows. The reintroduction that the Executive intends to carry out of the controversial law on “foreign influence” – a norm similar to that existing in Russian legislation and that opponents consider only seeks to silence dissent in the country – was the trigger. The opposition leader, Aleko Elisashvili, lost his temper and while Mamuka Mdinaradze – parliamentary head of Georgian Dream, the party in power – defended the proposal, he got up from his seat, approached the lectern and punched him in the face.
The surprised faces in the House were immediately visible, starting with its president, who suspended the session. The measure did not, however, prevent new moments of extreme tension, since the brawl spread to other parliamentarians. More than one came out with their faces red from the blows. Meanwhile, in the street, thousands of protesters gathered to reject the application of the law.
The regulations would require all organizations, media outlets and entities that receive at least 20% of their financing from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence.” The same rule that is in force in Russia and that the Georgian Government tried to apply a year ago, which in the end gave in to massive citizen protests.
The “stele” of the Kremlin
Opposition groups and a significant sector of the population believe that establishing it would put Georgia “even more in Russia's wake,” while undermining its future chances of entering the European Union.
After vacating the chamber, the perpetrator of the punch assured the media that the regulations drag Georgians towards Moscow and “this is not the time to sit at home.” For his part, the prime minister maintained that “the only thing that this bill provides for is the annual publication of the finances of NGOs” to give transparency to these organizations. He believes that the opposition fears that this measure will go ahead because “for years radical groups and those associations that polarize have been financed from abroad.”
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